Social

Reconstructioni
sm
by Kristine V. Masola

The Two Major Premises

of Reconstructionism
Society is in need of constant
reconstruction or change
Such social change involves a
reconstruction of education and the use
of education in reconstructing the
society
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Reconstructionism
Is the changing of society, education, and the use of
educational methods to make a social change
Advocates change that encourages individuals to try to make
life better than it was or is.
Concepts such as multiple intelligences or alternative
learning procedures have come from Reconstructionism

Historical Background of Reconstructionism

Reconstructionist ideas in one form or another have
existed throughout history.
Plato, in preparing his design for a future state, was
a reconstructionist philosopher. He outlined a plan
for a just state in which education would become the
building material for a new and better society. In his
book, Laws, he envisioned a time when interest
charges would be forbidden, profits would be limited,
and human beings would live as friends.
Stoic philosophers, particularly in their concern for a
world state, promoted a reconstructionist ideal.
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Historical Background of Reconstructionism

Marcus Aurelius, a Roman emperor and philosopher,
maintained that he was a citizen of the world, not of
Rome. This concept is one of that reconstructionists
articulate today in their attempts to minimize
nationalistic fervour and chauvinism.
Augustine preached reconstructionist reforms to bring
about an ideal Christian state through his book The
City of God.
Thomas More, Thomas Campanella, Johann Valentin
Andreae, Samuel Gott and other Christian utopian
writers also proposed things we might do to bring the
state into better accord with Christian thinking.
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Historical Background of Reconstructionism

Writings of 18th and 19th century utopian socialists, such
as Comte de Saint Simon, Charles Fourier and Francois
Noel Babeuf, advocated reconstructionist ideals through
the development of various forms of socialism.
Robert Owen and Edward Bellamy were part of the
industrial revolution, but saw the use of technology not
only for the production of wealth, but for improving the
lot of humanity throughout the world.
Karl Marx, decrying the harm done to workers by the
dehumanization of the industrial system, who pictured a
reconstructed world based on international communism.
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Historical Background of Reconstructionism

After the World War, Bertrand Russell in his Principles
of Social Reconstruction, listed steps that might be
taken to avoid the holocaust of war.
B. F. Skinner advocates the use of conditioning or
behavioural engineering in his book Walden Two. In
his Beyond Freedom and Dignity, Skinner maintains
that people cannot afford freedom in the traditional
sense and that they must engineer a new social
order based on a technology of behaviour.
Horace Mann and John Dewey view education as a
tool for social reform.
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Modern
Reconstructionism

Modern reconstructionism is basically pragmatic and

owes a tremendous debt to Dewey. Reconstructionists
promotes such things as the scientific method, problem
solving,
naturalism,
and
humanism;
however,
reconstructionists diverge from pragmatists in how they
believe the pragmatic method should be used.
Although pragmatism advocates continuous change and
a forward-looking approach to the problems of people and
society it has become a tool for helping people adjust to
society rather than change it.
Education, from the reconstructionists view, is a tool for
immediate and continuous change.
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Philosophy of Reconstrutionism
Is more concerned with the broad social and cultural fabric in
which human exist.
It concentrates on social and cultural conditions and how can
these be made more palatable for full human participation.

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Leading Exponents of
Reconstructionism

George S. Counts (1889-1974)

He was an educational activist-scholar whose interests were
wide ranging. His writings and professional activities were
more broadly concerned with social activism.

He was an acquaintance of John Dewey and was influenced

greatly by that philosophers social belief.

Countss major work on reconstructionism is a small but

widely read book, Dare the Schools Build a New Social Order.
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George S. Counts (1889-1974)

He sought to awaken educators to their strategic position in
social and cultural reconstruction.
Countss message was that although education had been
used historically as a means of introducing people to their
cultural traditions, social and cultural conditions were so
altered by modern science, technology and industrialization
that education must now be used as positive force for
establishing new cultural patterns and eliminating social
evils.
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 If Progressive Education is to be genuinely progressive, it

must emancipate itself from the influence of this class, face
squarely and courageously every social issue, come to grips
with life in all of its stark reality, establish an organic
relationship with the community, develop a realistic and
comprehensive theory of welfare, fashion a compelling and
challenging vision of human destiny, and become less
frightened than it is today at bogies of imposition and
indoctrination.

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George S. Counts (1889-1974)

He pointed out that the school should not promote any one
reform, but rather it should give our children a vision of
possibilities which lie ahead endeavor to enlist their loyalties
and enthusiasm in the realization of the vision.

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Theodore Brameld (1904-1987)

He was the most influential building reconstructionism into a
more fully developed Philosophy of Education.
He viewed reconstructionism as a crisis philosophy, not only
in terms of education but In terms of culture, as well.
Karl Popper opposed the utopian approach because he
believed that long-range utopian goals could become fixed
and unyielding. And he view an open society where many
possibilities are explored.
Brameld, however, saw value in both approaches.
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 Saul Alinsky
Contribute far more richly to the education of grassroots of Americans
than any number of superintendents of schools and professors of
education.

Ralph Nader
Has long fought for consumer protection and has maintained that mass
injustice ca end only if enough private citizens become public citizens.

Buckminster Fuller
Applauded for developing plans for future awareness and a humane
control of technology.

Lewis Mumford
Dedicated a great deal of time to analyzing contemporary urban
civilization and suggesting alternatives.
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Henry David Thoreau (1817-1862)

He promote the reconstructionist ideal of challenging societal
norms.
In Walden, he discussed the need for a reflected life and
talked about higher laws that transcended obedience to
social dictates.
He championed opposition to taxes that were used to support
slavery and war making.
He also set many ideas forth in his essay Civil
Disobedience.
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 Reconstructionist Philosophy on the whole strongly inclined

toward utopian or futuristic thinking.
They believe that planning and thinking about future is good
way of providing alternative societies for people to consider.

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Alvin Toffler
Coined the term
future shock
He believed that
future studies
should be part of the
curriculum on every
level of schooling.

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In The Third Wave, Toffler describes 3 major changes, or waves

that affected human life greatly.
First Wave
Was brought about by the development of agriculture, ending humans
nomadic existence.

Second Wave
The Industrial revolution (industrial wave) began after this time and
lasted until about 1955. This wave not only brought industry and
technology but also change peoples thinking accordingly.

Third Wave
Emphasizes individuality, hot relationships in which people use
technology at home, to work together in joint projects, and a service
economy.
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Alvin Toffler
In Learning for Tomorrow, Toffler says:

So long the rate of technological change in such community

stay slow, so long as no wars, invasions, epidemics or other
natural disasters upset the even rhythm of life, it is simple for
the tribe to formulate workable image of its own future, since
tomorrow merely repeats today.

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 James Herndon
In How To Survive in Your Native Land, noted that
although his classes were engaged in new and
creative activities, other classes in the same
school slaved over lessons about ancient Egypt.

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 Reconstructionist, understandably enough, are critical of

contemporary society. They point out many contradictions
and hypocrisies of Modern life.
Education, they think, should help students deal with these
problems by trying to orient them toward becoming agents of
change.

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Ivan Illiach
Founded the Center of
Intercultural
Documentation (CIDOC)
He distinguishes between
schooling and education,
and believes that
education should be
spread throughout society
rather than being
conducted only in special
buildings provided for that
purpose.

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Ivan Illich
He thinks that people can be educated in the job, at home,
and wherever else they might be during their day-to-day
activities.
He also proposed the use of learning webs through which
people can pool information and talents with others.
His book, Deschooling Society, encouraged some educators,
particularly educators concerned with social inequalities, to
reassess the role that the school plays n the society- that is,
that the school is not always a positive benefit.

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Chaos Theory
This theory was developed from mathematical theories,
particularly the work of Jules Henri Pointcare.
Chaos Theory gained momentum through quantum
mechanics in the field of physics.
Alvin Toffler says that research from the Brussels school of
Ilaya Prigogine and his associates indicates that instead of a
well-ordered Newtonian or Laplacian model of the universe,
the universe is seething with change , disorder and process.

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 Chaos theorists see the world in terms of vitality, turbulence

and volatility.
Proponents of chaos theory apply their thinking to a wide
range of discipline, such as ecology, biology, economics and
government.

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Click icon to add picture

George S.
Counts
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Theodore
Brameld

Henry David
Thoreau

Ivan Illich
Alvin Toffler
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Paulo Freire
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Thank You For

Listening